Automatic auxiliary plow



- June 18, 1946.

. AUTOMATIC AUXILIARY PLOW Filed March 24, 1945 ENNE'I'I/ 6UTLERImnentor 8g 7 MGM (Ittorneg K. E. BUTLER 2,402,365

Patented June 18, 1946 UNITED STATES PTFENT OFFICE 2,402,365 7 AUTOMATICAUXILIARY PLOW Kenneth E. Butler, Reedley, Calif.

Application March 24, 1945, Serial No. 584,598

3 Claims.

1 My invention relates to an auxiliary plow, sometimes termed a Frenchplow. The object of my invention to attach my French plow to a disc'harrow, or other plow or earth working tool when used in a vineyard ororchard, my auxiliary plow being adapted to automatically stir and turnthe earth adjacent to the trees or vines, and between the trees andvines in the row. The main object of my invention is the automatic andefficient manner of cultivating the soil between the vines or trees inany row while plowin or cultivating the earth between the rows of suchvines or trees. Other objects will hereinafter be disclosed.

In the drawing herewith which is hereby made a part of this application,Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my device as attached to a disc harrow.Fig, 2 shows the same device attached to a gang plow. Fig. 3 is aslightly modified form of my device having two mouldboards to turn overthe loosen ed soil instead of one mouldboard as shown inv Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. l I have shown the carrying frame 6 ofa disc harrow having disc blades 6A. This disc harrow is shownfractional only, and simply for the purpose of showing how my auxiliaryplow is attached. The part of frame 6 shown represents the right handside of the disc frame. A bracket 1 is attached to disc frame 6 withbolts 'lA. Bracket 1 consists of a flat portion which is positioned ona, parallel plane to the side of frame 6 to which it is attached, and aportion l9 which extends at approximately right angles to the plane ofthe side of frame 6, said portion l9 acting as an anchor for springs I7and HA hereinafter referred to. I have provided two upright shafts 8 and9 which are positioned with parallel center lines, and adapted to berotated witnin bearings 8A and 9A which bearings are attached to theportion of bracket 1 on the parallel with the disc frame 6.

Collars 8B and 80 On the lower and upper ends of bearing 8A are adaptedto permit shaft 8 to be lowered or raised and by adjusting the shaft tothe height desired it can be held in that position by clamping collars8B and 80 to shaft 8 with cap screws. Likewise shaft 9 can be adjustedas to height with collars 9B and 9C, and tightened with cap screws 22.

At the lower end of shaft 9 I have attached a plate H) which is intendedas a support for the working elements herein described. A 'cutter bladeI consists of a wide blade somewhat sharpened on the front edge. Whenassembled with the device cutting blade H is positioned so lines drawnlengthwise on the blade would be parallel with the earth, and linesdrawn across the blade would be slightly angular with the earth, theslope being toward the front or cutting edge HE. A flange, or bent upportion HA is adapted to be bolted firmly to plate I i). I At the bottomof shaft 8 is attached an arm M which extends outward therefromapproximately parallel to blade. The free ends of blade I I and arm i4are connected with a tie 23 which tie is pivotally attached to arm Mwith a bolt MA, and to blade H with a pivotal bolt I3A. Tie 23 has asupport I 3 thereon which is adapted to hold a mouldboard l2. Thismouldboard has a compound curved face which is similar to mouldboards ingeneral use and is adapted to turn over the soil coming in contacttherewith. Inasmuch as the cutting blade is sloped so that the cuttingblade willenter the earth along its cutting edge, it is noted that therear portion of the blade will be slightly spaced from the surface ofthe earth over which the cutting edge has passed, and as tie 23 is on aparallel plane with the upper face of blade Ii, arm M i likewise raisedto a position so it will not drag on the surface of the earth. An aproni5 extends from the rear of blade I I, to which it is attached, to anoverlapping position on arm l4,

On plate It) is attached bracket IDA, which bracket supports a tubularmember IBA. A guard It consists of a rod having one end thereof bentangular to the main guard, and the opposite end bent in a curve as shownin the drawing. The angular end of guard I6 is inserted in tubularmember ISA so that the curved end of the guard can be adjustedvertically, and when the desired height is secured set screw IBB can betightened to clamp the guard in that position. The object of guard I5 isto engage any vine, tree or other obstruction which extends above theground and which it is not the desire to move or mar with the plow, andthe pressure of the guard against the obstruction, shown as 36 in Fig.1, will cause the entire auxiliary plow assembly to swing backwards andavoid contact between the plow and the obstruction. It is noted thatcollar 9C is rigidly connected with shaft 9, and collar 9C has attachedthereto a lever 25. Expansion springs l1 and HA which are anchored atone end to anchor member l9 and attached at the other end to lever 25,the object of said springs being to normally hold the plow in a forwardposition, which forward position is limited by stop 26.

One of the objects of my invention is to hold the mouldboard in constantposition to turn over the soil in which it comes in contact whether 3the plow is in normal positions fixed by springs l1 and HA, and stop 26,or whether it is forced rearward by guard l6 coming in contact with anobstruction. Inasmuch as mouldboard I2 is pivotally connected with bladeH through pivot ISA holding tie 23 and mouldboard bracket [3, when theobstruction 30 contacts guide rod IB, and

and tie 23, in that arm M has a plurality of holesv MB, and tie 23 has aplurality of holes 233 which can be used in pivoting arm l4 and tie 23together.

Fig. 2 shows the same auxiliary plow as described in Fig. 1, except thatthe means for at: taching the auxiliary plow assembly to the plow is abracket IA which ismodified in form so it will bolt on to plow beam 20,and in said Fig. 2 I have shown the use of one spring I! only to holdthe auxiliary plow in an advanced position.

In Fig. 3 I have shown duplicate mouldboards I2A which are attached toduplicate ties 33. Each of duplicate mouldboards |2A are similar in allrespects to mouldboard l2, and ties 33 are in all respects similar totie 23.

It is understood that single spring I! shown in Fig. 2 can besubstituted with a plurality of springs.

Having described my invention I claim as new and ask for Letters Patent:

1. In combination with an earth working tool, an auxiliary plowconsisting of a bracket support adapted to be attached to the earthworking tool, two bearings attached to the support positioned verticallywith their center lines in parallel relation, each of said bearingscarrying a vertical shaft adapted to rotate in the bearing, the frontshaft carrying at its lower end a cutter extending at approximatelyright angles to the shaft to which it is attached, the rear shaftcarrying 4 at its lower end an arm extending on a line approximatelyparallel to thecutter blade, a tie connecting the free ends of thecutter blade and the arm, said tie being pivotally connected to thecutter blade and to the arm, a mouldboard supported on the tie, a guardrod extending in front of, and. slightly beyond the auxiliary plowassembly, said guard rod being adapted to swing the auxiliary plowassembly out of its normal line of travel when the guard rod engages anobstruction, and yielding means for returning the auxiliary plowassembly to its normal path of travel.

2. A device described in claim 1 in which the cutter plate is positionedwith a lateral slope.

3. An automatic auxiliary plow adapted to be used in connection with anindependent earth working tool consisting of a bracket adapted to beattached to the independent earth working tool, two vertical shaftspositioned parallel with each other, spaced apart, and held in bearingsattached to the bracket, said vertical shafts being adapted to turnwithin their bearings, a cutting blade attached to the lower end of oneof the shafts, and an arm attached to the other shaft and extendingapproximately parallel to the cutting blade, the cutting blade beinpositioned on a slant from the back downwards to the cutting edge, a tiepivotally connected at each end to the cutting blade and to the arm, thetie adapting the arm to move in unison with the cutting blade, amouldboard attached to the tie directly over the cutting blade andadjacent thereto, yielding means adapted to hold the cutting blade andmouldboard in working relation with the independent earth working tool,a guard positioned in front of the auxiliary plow, said guard beingadapted when moved by an obstruction in line with the path of travel ofthe auxiliary plow to swing the auxiliary plow assembly carried by thevertical shafts about spaced pivots out of line of the normal path oftravel of the auxiliary plow, the yielding means being adapted to returnthe plow to its normal position when the obstruction is passed.

KENNETH E. BUTLER.

